


I'll Make A Man Out Of You!

by Pastaaddict



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hetalia Fusion, Attack on Titan Fusion, M/M, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net under the name Pastaaddict
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-21 22:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14294826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pastaaddict/pseuds/Pastaaddict
Summary: The 105th Trainee Squad are about to begin their training and Shadis has a lot of work to do! Especially with the Japanese, two German, American, British, Russian, Chinese, French and two Italian cadets! Was there a Canadian cadet? I'm not sure!





	1. Inspection!

 

**_**Inspection!** _ **

The new recruits of the 105th Trainee Squad were lined up in the training yard like a sea of tan jackets, bearing the crossed swords symbol, being glared at by the bald man with frown lines on his forehead and a small beard as he examined all the fresh meat ready for him to chew up and spit out. All were quaking in their boots at the sight of this intimidating man. Keith Shadis was not intimidating for no reason, he had method in what he did. Too many came with a naïve view of what being in the military meant, not knowing what they would have to face and that some planned to be part of the top ten so they could join the Military Police and not face the titan threat at all. It was Shadis's job to shatter that rose-tinted view, break them down and rebuild them from the ground up to give them a better chance of surviving against the titans, at least those of them who would actually be facing the titans.

What a motley crew this lot were! Particularly the several blondes, two brunettes, two raven heads and the white mop at the front. Shadis began to walk down the lines and stopped at one of the raven heads who reminded him of that Mikasa Ackerman cadet and was almost as short as Captain Levi of the Survey Corps.

"Salute and sound off, cadet!" he ordered. The small man put his right fist over his heart and bowed.

"Hai!" he replied with a Japanese accent. "I am Kiku Honda from Tokyo District!"

"Well, Kiku Honda from Tokyo District!" Shadis said. "Why is a pipsqueak like you here?"

"To fight for Humanity, sir!" was the response. Shadis smirked at him.

"Would you die for Humanity, cadet?"

"Hai!"

"Good answer! You'll make a nice bite size morsel for the titans !" Shadis mocked. "Now drop and give me twenty!" Kiku pondered why he was being punished but got on the floor and began to do push ups while Shadis moved on to his next victim, the white haired, red-eyed weird kid.

"And what's your story, cadet?"

"I'm the Awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt," the albino replied, clearly Germanic. "I'm from Berlin District!"

"Awesome, are you?" Shadis asked. "Why?"

"Sir?"

"Why. Are. You. Awesome?" Shadis spoke as if to a child. Gilbert looked as if he was looking for a answer to that because no one had ever asked him that question.

"Well...hm...ah..!" Gilbert struggled to reply and the man with slicked-back, blonde hair and pale blue eyes next to him groaned and facepalmed, attracting Shadis's attention. The cadet looked fit, as if he looked after himself or had done hard work before joining the military.

"Know this idiot?" he asked.

"Ja!" the blonde man replied in a similar accent to the albino. "I'm Ludwig Beilschmidt, also from Berlin District and the idiot is mein älterer Bruder _(my older brother)_." Shadis gave a mirthless laugh.

"My sympathy! You should tell your _bruder_ to do something with that ego," he commented. "Thinking he's awesome will just get him eaten!" He went back to Gilbert and said, "Which would be no great loss to Humanity, Egomaniac! Now, you drop and give me twenty!" Gilbert looked like he would argue but a look from Ludwig quelled him and he began doing push-ups while Shadis turned back to Ludwig.

"And why are you here, cadet?" he demanded. Ludwig kept his eyes forward and stood straight with his fist over his heart, the epitome of the perfect soldier.

"To obey orders!" he replied. "To work and train to the fullness of my ability and protect Humanity from the Titan threat, Sir!" It sounded like kissing up but Shadis sensed that this Ludwig meant every word but being a soldier was not just about obeying orders, it's about knowing when to obey orders and when to rely on your own instincts, especially out in the field when surrounded by titans. Unless he planned to hang around on the walls all day or join the Military Police, pushing around the civilians and guarding the piss-pots in the King's palace!

"Then you can get to work now!" Shadis said. "Fifty laps of the training yard! Now!" Ludwig did not argue and began running. Shadis had no idea that Ludwig was used to running twice that distance but what he did not know would not hurt him! Shadis moved on to a blonde cadet with a lock of hair that did not give a crap what gravity dictated and sky blue eyes, shining behind rectangular glasses, who was looking around like an excited kid.

"What's floating your boat, blue eyes?!" Shadis mocked. "Name and district, now!" The blonde man stood up straight and gave the salute with a happy grin on his face.

"Alfred F Jones!" he replied, American in every syllable. "New York District! And I'm the Hero!" Oh, Shadis was going to have fun with this naïve idiot!

"Hero, are you!" Shadis asked him with a grin as his voice dropped to a deceptively quiet tone. "Do you know what we call Heroes around here, cadet?" Alfred's smile faltered a little.

"No, sir!" he replied.

"A TITAN'S CHEW TOY!" Shadis bellowed straight into Alfred's face. Another blonde next to Alfred could not stop the burst of laughter from erupting from his mouth which unfortunately drew Shadis's attention to him.

"And what's your name, laughing boy?" Shadis demanded, taking in the messy bed-hair, green eyes and Shadis never thought he would ever see eyebrows that were bigger than Commander Erwin's!

"Arthur Kirkland!" he man replied with a British accent and an expression that said he knew he was going to get punished. "London District! Sir!"

"So, Arthur Kirkland from London District!" Shadis sneered. "I'd get those eyebrows plucked before Commander Erwin thinks you're trying to impersonate him!" This time, Alfred laughed.

"So you two think I'm a comedian!" Shadis said. "Let's see if you find this funny! Jones! Join Muscles running around the yard and Kirkland! You're on mess duty tonight!" Shadis was surprised by the immediate response from the other cadets.

"Mein Gott! NEIN!"

"May my ancestors protect me!"

"Aiyah!"

"We're all gonna die!"

"Mon Dieu! I grieve for my poor palate!"

"VE~ I'D RATHER GET EATEN BY TITANS!"

"CHIGI!"

"General Winter! HELP ME!" There was another response but everyone ignored it!

"SHUT UP!" Shadis shouted at a volume, worthy of a certain German at a World Meeting and everybody went silent with the air of men going before the firing squad and wishing they were, it would be more merciful! Shadis moved on to a very tall man with platinum blonde hair, violet eyes and a large nose, welding a pipe with a tap on the end and giving off a dark and disturbing aura. Screw that! He would get his name and district later! 

Next was the second raven head who's hair fell in a ponytail over his left shoulder who seemed to have a panda in a basket on his back. He almost looked like a girl.

"And who are you, Panda Boy?"

"Yao Wang! Beijing District! Sir!" Yao gave the salute, clearly Chinese.

"And what are you going to do with your black and white teddy bear when you're working with 3DM gear?" Shadis said, deceptively quietly again which did not bode well, as seen when he used that tone with Alfred F Jones.

"Well, I ….," Yao stammered. "I suppose I'll leave him in the barracks."

"Then why didn't you do it this time?!" Shadis yelled. "This is an inspection, not a Bring Your Pet To School Day! Take that animal to your barracks and then you're running laps with Muscles and the Hero. Now, get out of my sight!" Yao yelped and scurried off and Shadis moved on to his next victim. Another blonde with a beard and a need for a haircut.

"And you must be Goldilocks!" Arthur nearly blurted out in laughter again but managed to control himself.

"Francis Bonnefoy!" the man replied with a French accent. "Paris District!" Great! Shadis thought. A district known for artists and chefs. And flirts!

"And what are you doing here?" he demanded. Francis struck a pose that got even further up Shadis's nose

"To do my part for Humanity!" he declared. "And to spread the love!" Oh wonderful! A philanderer! Shadis had to straightened this man out! There was no way he was sending someone out into the field, thinking with the wrong head!

"The only spreading out being done will be done by me!" Shadis retorted. "And what will be spread out is you, unconscious in the training yard now drop and give me FIFTY!" Francis gulped but obeyed and resisted the urge to complain about what this would do to his hair! Shadis found himself looking at that Jones idiot again who should be running around the training yard and he was not amused.

"I thought I told you to do laps, Jones," he said, impatiently. "Get going!"

"Hmm...Well...you see...," 'Jones' replied.

"NOW! BEFORE I MAKE IT A HUNDRED LAPS!" Shadis bellowed. 'Jones' jogged off, sighing, "I'm Matthew Williams from Ottawa District!"

The last two at the end looked like they could be twins, except that one had darker colouring than the other and each had a stray curl springing from their heads, one on the left and the other on the right. The left-handed curl one was who attracted Shadis's attention as he was stuffing his face with a plate full of some kind of pasta dish. _Great! Another one like that Potato Girl cadet! Looks like we'll have to start locking the kitchen again! Shadis thought._ He bent down to look the new cadet in the eye.

"Does this look like the Mess Hall to you?!" he said. The cadet nervously swallowed the mouthful of pasta he already taken. "Name and District!"

"Ve~ Feliciano Vargas, sir!" the cadet replied, putting his fork down on his plate and saluting on the wrong side. "Venice District!"

"You seem to need a lesson in Human Anatomy, Vargas," Shadis mocked. "What side is your heart on?" Feliciano began trembling.

"O on...the ….l left, sir," he stammered.

"And which side are you saluting on?" Feliciano looked down and scrambled to correct his salute, almost dropping his plate but, in a display of dexterity that impressed even Shadis, he managed to get his salute right and save his pasta. Shadis sighed. Yes, he was another Potato Girl!

"Well," he said. "You're going to need to work that off now, Pasta Boy! And you can do that by joining Muscles, Hero and Panda Boy! This is a training yard, not a picnic and you won't defeat any titans with carbohydrates, now get moving!" Feliciano gave a little whine and raised his hand again.

"What!" Shadis all but shouted.

"Can I finish my pasta?" he asked.

"YOU'RE RUNNING TILL SUNDOWN!" Shadis bellowed and, this time, Feliciano did drop his plate and he jogged off, mourning his beloved pasta.

"Idiota!" Shadis heard the last cadet mutter and turned his attention to the look-a-like. He looked the complete opposite to his last victim, personality-wise.

"Who are you and what's your district?" he demanded. The cadet did not even bother to salute.

"Lovino Vargas! Rome District!" he said, like a challenge. Oh, this one needed an attitude adjustment in the worst way and Shadis was just the one to give it to him.

"Vargas!" he picked up on that point. "Like …." He indicated to Feliciano who was already lagging behind the others and panting for air.

"My idiota little fratello!" Lovino snorted. "I'm only here to make sure he doesn't do something stupid and he's only here because of the Potato Bastard!"

"Potato Bastard!" Shadis was not sure he wanted to know.

"Muscles!"

"Why do you live in different districts?" Shadis asked. Lovino snorted.

"Our guardian sent me to live with some tomato-loving Spanish bastard," he replied. "Stupid bastard thought I had an _"attitude problem” !”_ He air-quoted 'Attitude Problem'. Shadis smirked.

"Wasn't so stupid, was he!" he said. "On the ground! Twenty press-ups! Now!" And he turned to inspect the other cadets. That was when a tomato hit him in the back of the neck!

"PRESS-UPS TILL I SAY STOP, VARGAS!" He bellowed, not bothering to look back at the Italian cadet and so never saw Lovino flip him off. As he walked among the other cadets, he realised he had his work cut out for him.

* * *

Later, he realised that, in punishing Kirkland the way he had, he had effectively punished everyone, including himself. Kirkland's cooking could be used as a weapon against titans as the so-called Awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt was unconscious, Francis had his head in a bucket and Shadis was tempted to join him. As he looked around the Mess Hall at the other cadets and the trainers, all in various states of food poisoning, he was amazed that one person could bring an entire trainee squad down! With food! Bunks that night rarely saw their occupiers and the latrines were in full use and Shadis made a mental note never to punish Kirkland with Mess Duty again and Arthur Kirkland was forever banned from the kitchen.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone points it out, I am aware that the capital of the United States is Washington DC but Alfred doesn't strike me as being very DC so I called his district New York instead. I think it suits him better. Tell me what you think.


	2. Aptitude Tests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shadis puts the recruits through their paces and gets his patience tested.

 

**_**Aptitude Tests** _ **

  


It took two days for everyone to recover. Well, most recovered after one day but they had to wait for Gilbert to regain consciousness and then _he_ had to recover but now he was, the tests could begin.

Out in the yard, there were rigs set up that looked like crossbows pointed at the sky with the wires holding people by their belts who were in various stages of either being upright or upside down as they attempted to keep their balance.

Shadis walked down the row of hoists, watching the cadets as their balance was tested and right now he was looking at the self-proclaimed 'Hero' who was managing to keep his balance while swinging on the wires like a big kid.

"YAHOO!" Alfred cried as he swung back and forth, causing Shadis to roll his eyes. The kid had great balance and potential but he needed to take things seriously and he went to the winch on the side of the hoist, not seeing the blonde, violet eyed boy by the winch and released the catch. Alfred gave a yelp of surprise as he fell to the ground.

"That's not a swing, Hero!" Shadis snorted as Alfred rubbed the butt he had fallen on. "And you're a soldier now, act like one!" And he moved on to the next hoist which was holding the large blonde man with the violet eyes and the dark aura. Shadis had learn from Panda boy, who was operating the winch, that the man's name was Ivan Braginski and he was from Moscow District but Shadis had nick-named him Creepy Bastard but he would never say that to his face. Ivan hung still and upright in the cables, in fact it was like the cables did not dare tip him over.

"You have good balance, cadet!" he commented. "Think you can keep it up?"

"Da!" Ivan replied. "I will not fall, comrade!" The creepy aura spread as if Ivan was expecting to be contradicted and ready to dish out retribution if anyone did. Honestly, this cadet actually scared Shadis.

"I believe you won't!" he replied and quickly moved on. On the next hoist was Pasta Boy with Muscles stood helping him right himself as he had not only tipped upside down but had managed to somehow get twisted up in the cables. Shadis had not seen anything that bad since he trained that Eren Yeager kid and that was because he had broken equipment. Feliciano was still stuck in his upended position with Ludwig trying to unravel him from the cables and Shadis knelt down to look him in the eye.

"Hey, Pasta Boy!" he mocked. "You stand a good chance of seeing what a titan looks like upside down! Right before it eats you!" Feliciano gave a yelp as Ludwig released him from the cables and he jolted free of the cable entanglement. Ludwig then went to the winch and slowly lowered Feli to the ground so he could right himself again.

"Okay, Muscles!" Shadis ordered. "Take him back up and fail this time, Pasta Boy, and you'll be sleeping in the fields after ripping up plants in them all day!" Ludwig turned the winch and slowly, Feliciano's feet left the ground.

Feliciano began wobbling and tilting, flapping his arms trying to keep his balance but, as he swung backwards and forwards, it was obvious he was going over.

"FELI!" Ludwig yelled. "FAIL AND I'LL GO BACK TO THE BARRACKS AND THROW OUT ALL YOUR PASTA!" Feli 'eep'ed and, suddenly he straightened up and achieved perfect balance. Shadis was stunned! A threat to pasta and the most incompetent cadet became a model one. He just shook his head and moved on. In the next hoist was Kiku and he just hung there, effortlessly with natural grace. And reading some kind of book while Egomaniac stood by the winch, looking awesome! Or trying to!

"What the Hell are you doing, cadet?!" he shouted at the unsuspecting Kiku who jumped out of his skin at the unexpected voice while Gilbert fell on his butt in the dirt. Kiku managed to keep his balance and posture but dropped his book and Shadis picked it up and looked at it. It was one of those weird books that were read from back to front and right to left that were popular in Tokyo District. What was it called? Oh yes! Manga!

"Ow!" Gilbert got up, rubbing his aching backside. "That was unawesome!"

"Hey, Manga Boy!" Shadis said, flipping through the pages and stopped at one, his eyes widening at what he saw on it. (Yes, it was R-18!) It seems the quiet, black haired cadet was a secret deviant. "What you do in private is your own business but read this stuff in your barracks! I catch you with this out here again, I'll make you show it to the rest of the squad!" He slapped the book back into Kiku's hand. "Now, put it away!" He went on to the next hoist as Gilbert lowered Kiku down.

"Will you stop playing with the winch, you git?" a disgruntled London District accent caught Shadis's ear and he turned to see Eyebrows in the hoist with that Bonnefoy cadet operating the winch. Or messing about with it was more accurate as he kept raising and lowering Arthur every time he tried to maintain his balance.

"You want me to just make you rise, mon cher?" Francis leered, waggling his eyebrows at Arthur.

"Pervert!" Arthur retorted and Shadis thought that, had the Parisian been within striking distance, Eyebrows would had beaten Francis to a bloody pulp. "Just do it properly, Francy Pants! I want to pass these tests! I don't care what you do!"

"Like the nick-name, Eyebrows!" Shadis commented. "Hey, Francy Pants! I take it you don't want to clean out the latrines later?" Francis turned a ghostly shade.

"Non, sir!" he replied.

"THEN OPERATE THAT WINCH CORRECTLY!" Shadis screamed at him. "OR YOU'LL BE CLEANING THEM ALL WEEK!" Francis raised Arthur up in the hoist and left him alone to hang from it correctly. Shadis looked back at everybody taking their turn in the hoists and realised that some one was missing.

"Where's Vargas?" he demanded. Feliciano waved his hand in the air.

"Ve~ Here, sir!" he called.

"Not you!" he snorted. "I mean your tomato flinging brother! Where the Hell is he?"

"Ve~ He's taking a siesta!" Feliciano replied. "He said to tell you he didn't care!" Actually, his exact words were 'Tell the bald bastard I don't give a sh*t!' when Feliciano went to wake him up but Feli thought it might be a bad idea to give the message word for word as how Feliciano had told Shadis was making the man turn an angry red and _not_ like a tomato as he stormed off in the direction of the barracks.

* * *

Lovino looked peaceful in his siesta but his happy sleepy time came to an abrupt end when he was flung out of his bunk by Shadis who had upended his mattress and dumped him on the floor. From the second bunk!

"Ow!" he looked up from his painful position on the ground at the bald drill sergeant who loomed over him. "What's your problem, Bald Bastard?" Shadis was going to kill this kid before he could ever be cut from the squad!

Shadis just picked Lovino up, flung him over his shoulder and carried him out to the training fields, ignoring the impressive amount of curse words coming out of Lovino's mouth in which he did not repeat himself once! Everyone watched as he carried the angry Italian over to an unoccupied hoist and dumped him on the ground in front of it.

"Do you see anyone here taking a siesta, Tomato Idiot?!" he sneered at Lovino who was now dusty from the ground. "Get into the hoist and let's see how well balanced you are but from what I've seen, I'm not hopeful!" Lovino growled at Shadis but he got up and allowed himself to get strapped into the hoist and Shadis winched him up high. Lovino wobbled a little but managed to stay upright and he smirked at Shadis.

"Happy now, Bald Bastard!" he said.

"Very!" Shadis replied and unleashed the catch, sending Lovino crashing to the ground with a yelp. "Next time I have to come after you, I'll set your bunk on fire! Now everyone, change places!" Everybody helped each other out of and into the hoist and Shadis went back down the line.

Francis was up in the air, trying to keep his balance but Arthur kept slapping him on the back and upending him and he currently hanging upside down while Arthur smirked at him.

"Do you two immature brats need a time-out?" Shadis fumed. "Knock it off, Eyebrows or you'll be scrubbing the latrines instead of your girlfriend there!" Shadis pointed at Francis which left Arthur in a stuttering rage but he stopped shoving Francis over and Francis managed a graceful balance and Shadis moved on to Gilbert and Kiku.

Kiku winched Gilbert into the air who attained great balance and after a minute of keeping stable, Gilbert punched the air, screaming, "JA! I AM AWESOME!" Shadis went up to him.

"Of course you are, Egomaniac!" he muttered and unhooked one of the cables from Gilbert's belt and gave him a spin as Gilbert screamed again as he swung around uncontrollably on the remaining wire while Shadis went to his next vict … I mean pair of cadets! Which were Muscles and Pasta Boy but Feliciano was having a hard time trying to get the winch to hoist Ludwig. It seemed that Ludwig was too heavy for the slender Italian to winch up.

"You need to eat something that will put some meat on your bones, Pasta Boy!" Shadis said, moving Feliciano to one side to get to the winch. "It'll give you strength and the titans don't like their snacks skinny!" Feli eep-ed as Shadis turned the winch and Ludwig rose into the air where Ludwig maintained perfect balance and Shadis had to admit that this cadet had the most potential of the entire group.

"Not bad, Muscles!" he commented. "Keep it up and you just might pass!" Shadis went on to the next pair as a thud sounded behind him as Feli let Ludwig down but could not control the winch enough to let him down gently.

Shadis could see Panda Boy dangling in the hoist that Creepy Bastard was operating and he was wobbling slightly but managing to maintain his balance. He wobbled again and almost fell.

"You can do it, comrade," Ivan called out encouragement to his partner. "Become one with the cables!" Shadis almost smiled at their camaraderie.

"And if they do not become one," Ivan continued, dark aura spewing everywhere. "I will snap them, strand by strand!" Yao's balance became perfect at that threat and Shadis decided that was enough creepiness for one day and moved on.

"Hey! Hero! What are you doing back in the hoist?!" he demanded when he saw 'The Hero' in the hoist with a reasonably good sense of balance. "You were there before! I said change places, Hero!"

"Huh, sir!" came a voice by the winch. "I'm the Hero!" Shadis turned to see 'The Hero' stood by the winch and his head flipped back and forth between Alfred and the one in the swing.

"Then who are you?"

"Matthew Williams, sir," the look-a-like replied, shyly. "From Ottawa District."

"Why weren't you at Inspection?" Shadis demanded.

"I was, sir! You mistook me for Alfred and made me run laps." Shadis thought back and remembered seeing Jones twice. Now he saw the two of them together, he could see the differences between them. They had the same face but Williams had longer hair than Jones with a curly strand that fell between his eye and his eyes were violet to Jones's blue. He tuned back to the one in the hoist.

"Well, next time, tell me, Hero," he ordered and the violet eyed boy sighed.

"I'm Williams!" he said with a long suffering tone and Shadis looked between the two again.

"Whatever!" he replied and addressed the whole group.

"Right!" he yelled. "Everybody, out of the hoists and dismissed! Report back here tomorrow at 08:00 from your next training session!" With that, Shadis walked away. When he was out of sight of the cadets, he rolled his eyes and facepalmed. After a few more weeks to check the other cadets and weed out the hopeless, they would be moving on to the real training.

This was going to be a _nightmare!_

 

 


	3. ODM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They fly through the air with the greatest of ease.....eventually.

 

  


**_**ODM** _ **

Today was the day. Everyone was up for breakfast early because today they would be using the ODM gear, or 3DM gear as it was sometimes known, and some, (cough ~ Alfred and Gilbert ~ cough) were really excited at the prospect of flying through the air on cables. Kiku took bites of his food while looking at a diagram of the equipment they would be using so he would know how it worked. Arthur went into the kitchen to request some scones and was chased out with a meat cleaver. Arthur was the only person who could set fire to a kitchen, just by walking in!

Ivan was sat next to Yao and they look cosy as they discussed the day ahead while Ludwig sat with Feli who tucked into his pasta while Ludwig chewed his bockwurst as he gave advice to Feli about using the ODM gear that he had studied the night before. Francis tried to flirt with a disgruntled Arthur and ended up with his face in his breakfast. Lovino ate his food, scowling at everyone and Matthew was still digging into his pancakes with maple syrup when Shadis walked in and looked down at his half eaten breakfast.

"Like maple syrup, do you, Maple Breath!" he said. "Well, get it eaten now! You can taste it later!" And he turned to the others.

"That goes for the rest of you maggots!" he ordered. "I want you in the classroom for ODM orientation in five minutes! Any latecomers will be cleaning the wall until midnight, now MOVE IT!" And he stomped out, slamming the door behind him. Everyone rushed to devour what was left of their breakfasts (Kiku and Francis were very dignified but, as for everyone one else, it was not pretty!) and they scampered out the door.

* * *

The next hour was spent going over the ODM equipment, how it worked and how to operate the triggers (Matthew was nearly impaled when Feli accidentally triggered one of the grapple hooks and it shot into the wall!) and then they were shown how to attach the gear to their straps and they went out to the woods to train, Alfred and Gilbert practically chomping at the bit which made Shadis roll his eyes.

This was going to be carnage!

* * *

"YEE-AH!" Alfred shouted as he zipped through the trees on his cables, swinging around like Tarzan...

…..then cried in pain when he swung into a tree like George of the Jungle and Shadis facepalmed. The Hero needed to pay more attention to his surroundings, maybe the collision with the tree would knock some sense into him. Yao lost control of his cables, collided with Ivan and they ended up stuck together with the cables wrapped around them. Strangely, Shadis thought, Creepy Bastard did not seem to mind that much and he wondered just what was going on between him and Panda Boy.

Feliciano ended up upside down, cocooned in his cables with Ludwig hanging down from his own cables, once again trying to untangle him. When he finally unravelled him, Feliciano fell to the ground with a yelp. Shadis watched Ludwig lowered himself to the ground where Feliciano hugged him in gratitude and they shared a few words. Shadis could not hear what they were saying but then they took to the air again and with Ludwig at his side, Feliciano seemed to do much better. Shadis shook his head. It was a strange relationship between Pasta Boy and Muscles. Close but strange.

Kiku had a natural grace in the air and because, like Ludwig, he had studied the ODM gear beforehand, he had a good grasp how the triggers functioned. It was just a matter of getting use to operating them which he did fairly quickly. Shadis believed that Manga Boy may have found his niche with the ODM gear as he zipped away with the agility of a bird.

Now to check on the rest of them!

* * *

Arthur was light and nippy in the air and, after a wobbly start in which he accidentally extended the cables and almost crashed to the ground, he got the hang of it and flew through the trees, using one cable and the gas jets, he was swinging round trees, disengaging his hook from one tree to fire the other one at another and he was doing well until Francis collided with him and they both dropped to the ground.

"Why don't you look where you're going, Frog?" Arthur growled, shoving at Francis who had landed on top of him.

"Moi, Angleterre!" Francis exclaimed. "You're the one who can't stay away from me!"

"In your dreams, wanker!" Arthur swore. "Get off me!"

"You and your girlfriend want to get a room, Francy Pants?" Shadis had seen them collide and came to see if anyone needed medical attention, only to find them tangled up together on the ground with sexual tension heavy in the air. "If no bones are broken, get back in the air! Snuggle on your own time, Eyebrows!" Arthur practically threw Francis off him and stood up, blushing.

"Like I would with HIM!" Arthur snorted, firing his grapple hooks and flying away into the air. Francis looked lovesick.

"I think he likes me, really," he sighed. "Ah, L'amour!" He flew after Arthur, leaving Shadis to face-palm. Francy Pants was either fooling himself or he was spot on! Either way was going to be a pain and he wondered how many more of them were going to let their hormones get the better of them.

* * *

Gilbert was whipping through the trees with the wind ruffling his white tresses and he swung round a tree to see someone swinging toward him. The blonde was doing quite well when suddenly he cried out as he hit the wrong trigger and his back gas jet blasted him toward a tree. Gil used his own jet to shoot forward to catch the blonde before he hit the tree and flew him to safety. He flew them to a large branch and the blonde man looked up at Gilbert and violet eyes in a boyish face met Gilbert's red orbs and he gave a cocky half-smile.

"Well, hello Birdie!" he purred at the cute blonde in front of him. "That was a close call, wasn't it!"

"Yes," the blonde admitted. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Gil replied. "I'm the Awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt from Berlin District! And what's your name, Birdie?"

"Matthew Williams from Ottawa District," the blonde said.

"Cute name!" Gil replied. "Want to meet up later, Birdie?"

"You love-birds want to pick this up later!" Lovino called out as he flew past. "Bald Bastard is coming and you don't want him to catch you bastards!" And he flew away.

"Hey, Egomaniac! Maple Breath!" Shadis called up from the ground. "Love might be literally in the air but not on my time. Save it for later!" Matthew blushed while Gilbert smirked. Shadis decided to round everybody up before they disappeared with each other, doing God knows what!

"All right, you airborne idiots!" Shadis bellowed from the ground. "Hit the ground now! That includes you, Tomato Idiot! Time for target practice if you can leave each other long enough!"

* * *

The other trainers were ready with the titan targets to move them into position when the cadets came flying through, to see if they could react in time. Shadis told the trainees to divide up into pairs and they picked their flying buddies, not that some had a choice (cough~Yao and Arthur~ cough). Alfred picked the Japanese man because he had seen Kiku flying and thought he would make a good partner and, anyway, he was cute! Ivan's stance beside Yao brooked no argument and Francis put his arm around a struggling Arthur. Gilbert immediately stood beside a cutely blushing Matthew and a fight was breaking out between Ludwig and Lovino who were arguing over who should partner Feliciano.

"What the Hell going on over here?" Shadis demanded. He was ignored as the two combatants glared daggers at each other.

"I should partner Feliciano!" Lovino stormed. "He's my fratello! Go partner your own, Potato Bastard!"

"Ve~ Please don't fight!" Feliciano begged but the argument continued.

"My bruder already has a partner," Ludwig replied. "Anyway, I've been helping Feli from the beginning. Where were you when he was hanging upside down in his cables?" Lovino went red like a tomato.

"That's it, Potato Bastard!" he screamed. "There's a ninety percent chance of a sh*tstorm and it's heading your way!"

"SHUT UP!" Shadis bellowed. The two arguers pulled apart and Feli yelped in fright. "There's three of you left anyway so you three will go together! I don't care if you don't like Muscles, Tomato Idiot!" Shadis shut down Lovino who looked like he was going to argue. "Just suck it and take it like a man!"

"Lovino can have this Frog if he wants!" Arthur offered as he tried to stop Francis's hands from wandering.

"Eww!" Lovino replied. "No thanks! You can keep the pervert!"

"There you go, Tomato Idiot!" Shadis commented. "Someone always has it worse than you so stop complaining!" Then he addressed everyone.

"All right, maggots!" he yelled. "You'll each go in pairs! Follow the designated path and you'll be judged your attacks, amounts of titan strikes and how deep you hit. And try not to impaled yourselves on your own pairing blades, I don't want to do the paperwork! Hero! Manga Boy! Get going!" Alfred and Kiku fired their grappling hooks shot into the trees and out of sight.

Alfred took left while Kiku took right as they took out their pairing blades and Alfred knew he had to focus this time. Goofing around in training was one thing but they were being assessed now and Alfred could be serious when the situation called for it. Kiku concentrated on the woods ahead as he knew the target could appear from anywhere at any time.

As they flew passed branches, a huge wooden titan with padding at the neck was suddenly turned into sight on the right and Alfred triggered his gas jet, shooting him forward and he lashed out with his blades, taking out a huge chunk of padding in the neck. Kiku released his left hook and activated his left gas jet to push him to the right and another chunk was taken out. Alfred gave Kiku a thumbs up just before he reach the spot his hooks had grappled on to. He released his hooks and fired his gas jet again to keep him airborne while his hooks returned then he fired them again and continued on his way while Kiku brought in and fired his hooks again and they went after the next target. Shadis watched from the branches and jotted down his observations of the two.

 **_Alfred F Jones_** **_:_** _ _Childlike and immature! Has a hero complex and an overbearing personality which could make working with others difficult. However, can be serious and focused when needed and has good ODM skills. Could be an asset with the right people!__

 **_Kiku Honda :_ ** __Quiet! Good at reading the atmosphere and knows when to not speak! Excellent ODM skills and concentrates on the task at hand. Despite being solitary, shows signs of working well in a partnership or a group!_ _

Shadis went to observe the others.

* * *

Shadis had seen Muscles whisper something into Pasta Boy's ear and a frightening, dark look had fallen over the normal bubbly Italian's eyes and he began snarling. He shot off like a man on a mission while Ludwig and Lovino followed him and Shadis wondered what Muscles had said to him. Pasta boy had looked like Eren Yeager whenever anyone mentioned Titans.

Feliciano shot through the branches with Ludwig and Lovino flanking him and, when a wooden titan presented itself, Feliciano gave a blood-curdling war-cry and lashed out with his blades so hard, he almost took the whole padding off.

"Hey, fratello!" Lovino shouted. "Leave some for the rest of us!" Feliciano just gave another primal scream, pulled in his hooks and fired them again, whipping through the air at high speed.

"Chigi! What in the Holy Hell did you say to him, Potato Bastard?!" Lovino demanded but Ludwig just smiled. Shadis wrote in his file.

 **_Feliciano Vargas :_ ** __On the surface, seems weak and ineffective but, but when motivated, can become almost terrifying in his intensity. When not motivated, is a little too dependant on his friends. However, if handled properly, can be an efficient member of the military. I think!_ _

 

 **_Lovino Vargas :_ ** __Argumentative, disrespectful, disobedient! However, this could be due to abandonment issues in his youth! Has decent ODM skills and, while does not work well with others, suspect he will watch out for his squad mates in whatever branch of the military he decides to join. Although I feel sorry for his commanding officer!_ _

 

 **_Ludwig Beilschmidt :_ ** __Serious and dedicated to his goal! Will obey orders without question and make a good soldier! However, needs to learn to rely on initiative more and not entirely on the rule book! Watches out for team mates and supports them. Would be an asset to the service!_ _

He moved on to the next team.

* * *

Yao and Ivan were flying in search of their first target, Ivan staying close to Yao, retracting and firing their hooks and keeping their blades ready.

"What's the plan when we find the target, aru?" Yao asked as the leaves whipped past their vision.

"Become one with it!" Ivan replied and, not for the first time, Yao wondered about the sanity of his partner but then the huge wooden shape turned into their vision and he had to concentrate on that.

"VODKAAAAAAA!" Ivan screamed, activating his gas jet and shooting at the body of the target, rather than at the neck paddling. Yao's heart went into his mouth as Ivan 'became one' with the wooden shape at high speed, the wood broke apart in splinters and the paddling flew away from it, then Ivan came flying round and struck the padding with his blades in mid-flight and the padding hit the ground with a big gouge in it. Yao had never seen anything like it!

"How did you hit that at that speed and not kill yourself?" Yao gasped as they flew on. Ivan shrugged.

"I'm Russian!" he replied as if that explained everything and to Ivan, it probably did. Yao shrugged as the next target came into sight.

"Whatever works!" he said. "Please, leave this one for me!"

"Da, comrade!" Yao shot forward, his cables now trailing behind him as he shot over the padded neck, flying past the trees that his hooks were in. Then turned upside down and retracted his cables. His blades ripped a gouge out of the padding as he shot back over the neck. Shadis was stunned at what he had just seen! He almost felt sorry for the titans!

 **_Ivan Braginski :_ ** __Very large, intense individual! Unsure of his mental stability but very strong! Will go to great lengths to protect his team mates! Not someone to make an enemy of! With careful handling, will make a powerful soldier!_ _

 

 **_Yao Wang :_ ** __Seemed somewhat average but showing hidden depths. Surprising OMD skills and quick reflexes, should make a decent fighter and, with the right people, excel as I suspect he has more to show us_ _

With that, Shadis moved on to the next pair.

* * *

Get to your own side of the path, you git!" Arthur ordered as Francis got too close to him again. They had already hit two targets and would have hit more if they had not spent time arguing. "You're putting me off my target practice!"

"You aim for the wrong target!" Francis purred as he flew closer again. "Your target should be my heart, mon cher!" Arthur snorted as he withdrew and fired his hooks again.

"If it's with my pairing blades," he scoffed. "I accept!" And he triggered his gas-jet and shot away, leaving Francis to catch up. As he flew over the ground, a titan shape appeared before him and he readied his blades and was ready to strike when cables shot over his head and Francis was pulled over his head by them. Arthur sped up the cable retraction and triggered his gas-jet to try and get to the titan before Francis and they became neck-and-neck.

As they moved in to strike, the trainer operating the fake titan decided to mess with them and made it turn again and their blades hit empty air instead of padding. Arthur gave a cry of frustration as his swords missed.

"It seems the trainer is playing with us, Angleterre!" Francis said. "I say we play back, non?" Arthur smirked.

"You decoy!" he replied. "I'll go in for the kill!" Francis frowned.

"And what about my kill score?" he asked.

"You can have the next one," Arthur replied. "My word as a gentleman!" Arthur figured that, as they were stuck together, they might as well worked together as it benefited both of them. It was not as if he liked the frog!

They split up into the trees and the trainer lost sight of them then he found Francis coming back toward him, aiming for the wooden titan. As Francis came in for the strike, the trainer turned the titan again and Francis's blades missed but Arthur's did not when he shot out of the trees from another direction and a wedge of padding fell to the ground.

With whoops of victory, Arthur and Francis flew off in search of another target while Shadis scribbled in his file.

 **_Arthur Kirkland :_ ** __Emotionally repressive, Kirkland hides his true emotions behind a façade of hostility but cares about his fellow team mates more than he shows and has demonstrated the ability to work as a team even with those he appears not to get along with and shows strategic ability! Excellent ODM ability! Will make a good soldier and possible future officer. Time will tell! Just keep him out of the kitchen!_ _

 

__Francis Bonnefoy : Bonnefoy has shown he can concentrate on the task at hand and has also shown teamwork ability although he has been know to be distracted by things of a romantic nature. However, his ability to work with a team will be an asset if he can curb his urge to flirt with anything that moves! Decent OMD skills!_ _

Two left to assess! Pancake Breath and Egomaniac! Shadis moved on!

* * *

"Scheiße, Birdie!" Gilbert exclaimed as Matthew took out his fourth fake titan. "For someone who blushes a lot, you have awesome, kicking-titan-ass skills!" Matthew looked back at him.

"What's wrong, Gil?" he smirked. "Can't keep up?" Matthew retracted his hooks and fired them again, speeding away. Gilbert gave his own smirk.

"Challenge accepted!" he grinned and fired his own hooks again, chasing after Matthew with the aid of his gas-jets and then he saw his Birdie just up ahead and slowly caught him up.

"Next one's mine, Birdie!" he swore. Matthew grinned.

"Not if I get there first!" he replied and they flew side by side through the trees and a wooden shape turned in their direction and they shot forward, raised their blades, swung them at the padded neck...

…..and struck at the same time, each taking a wedge out of the padding and they grinned at each other.

"We're awesomely prefect for each other, Birdie?" Gilbert said. Matthew blushed which Gil thought was the cutest thing in the world except for his pet canary, Gilbird and they went after their next target while Shadis made the last of his observations.

__Gilbert Beilschmidt : Seriously needs his ego deflating and somewhat arrogant but that aside, good combat potential! Great ODM skills and a drive to 'be awesome' at what he's doing! Needs a little reining in but has the making of a good soldier!_ _

 

__Matthew Williams : Needs more presence, otherwise is mistaken for his brother, Cadet Jones, or fades into the background completely. However, has shown incredible skill with ODM and battle tactics to a surprising degree! Will make an excellent soldier if he made himself heard more!_ _

Shadis closed his file and watched as the cadets continued to fly and strike at their targets and he knew they would graduate. He wondered what branch of the military they would choose and who would still be alive this time next year, should any of them choose the Survey Corps! They would have to make the choice when their training came to an end and they decided what the future held for them. But he had one question for Muscles and he pulled him to one side and pointed at Feli.

"What did you say that turned him into such a demon in the air?" he asked. Ludwig gave a half-smile.

"I told him the titans had taken his pasta!" Ludwig replied and Shadis rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that day. Again with the pasta! Well, whatever worked!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DON'T TOUCH FELI'S PASTA!


	4. Graduation!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's graduation and everyone has to decide where they'll be going. Military Police, Wall Garrison or the Survey Corps.

 

** _**Graduation!** _ **

  
  


All the cadets stood before the trainers, including Shadis and the Heads of the three militaries, Nile Dok of the Military Police, Dot Pyxis of the Wall Garrison and Erwin Smith of the Survey Corps who looked over the fresh mea ….. rookies, especially those stood at the front. A spokesperson stepped forward to address the sea of cadets.

"Do you have heart?" he shouted at the cadets staring at him. Shadis rolled his eyes! Not this pretentious BS again. The cadets cried, "Yes, sir!" and gave the salute over the heart.

"You have three options to choose from," the spokesperson continued. "The Garrison Regiment who are tasked with re-enforcing the walls, the Survey Corps who fight the titans to take back territory for Humanity and the Military Police, charged with maintaining law and order under the orders of the King! Those cadets eligible for the MPs have been named. Normally, this is the top ten of the class but this time, two share the last spot. These are the top of your class!"

At the front stood eleven cadets in order of place. Lovino and Feliciano Vargas both occupied the tenth spot, then it was Yao, Francis, Ivan, Matthew, Kiku, Gilbert, Arthur, Alfred and, top of the class, Ludwig! They stood proud and tall in their uniforms with their right fists over their hearts, the Best of the Best. Shadis wondered which branches of the military his top cadets would choose.

* * *

Dinner that evening was filled with discussion and decision-making as cadets gave thought to which branch of the military they should join and Shadis stood outside the door to the Mess Hall, listening to the conversations that were buzzing around.

"Well, I'm going into the Survey Corps," Alfred announced but that surprised no one. The New Yorker had been saying that, almost from the moment he joined the military. "Take on the titans instead of hiding behind the walls, like the MPs!"

"Oi!" Arthur retorted. "I'M joining the MPs and it's not to hide! It's no good protecting the territory on the outside if Humanity's tearing itself apart within the walls! Order must be maintained!"

"Yeah, whatever dude!" Alfred scoffed. Kiku cocked his head.

"I find it strange that the MPs take the best cadets," he commented. "Only to put them where they'll be unlikely to use their skills. I will join either the Survey Corps or the Wall Garrison, I have not decided yet!" Alfred threw an arm around Kiku's shoulder and pulled him in, making the Japanese man nervous with the sudden invasion of personal space.

"Dude, you should totally join the Survey Corps!" he exclaimed. "You and me will make a kick-ass team! After all, the Hero needs his sidekick!" Kiku thought about it! Maybe he would. After all, the New Yorker was cute! Lovino snorted.

"Yeah!" he said. "The two of you together will make a bigger snack for the titans! Why do you want to join the branch of the military with the highest death rate?" Alfred flung his arms out, forgetting that Matthew was sat next to him and almost knocking him out of his chair.

"I don't like to be hemmed in, man!" he declared. "I wanna get beyond the walls, to see what's there. I want to be FREE!" Arthur gave a snort of derision.

"Free to die!" he muttered. Nearby, Francis sipped from his cup.

"Oui!" he agreed. "I shall be joining the Military Police myself!" Arthur slammed his own cup down.

"What!" he exclaimed. "No way, Frog! I'm going to be stuck with you after all this?! It's not happening!" Francis changed seats to sit beside the grumpy Londoner, inching closer to him as Arthur tried to move his chair away.

"Admit the truth, Angleterre!" he purred, taking the struggling Arthur in his arms when he had nowhere left to go. "You'd miss me if I went elsewhere!"

"Let go of me, you git!" Arthur demanded, standing up trying to wiggle out of Francis's arms but Francis got up with him and kept hold of him.

"Admit it!" Francis demanded.

"Not a chance!"

"Admit it, cher!"

"JUST GET OFF ME, YOU PERVERT!"

* * *

On the other side of the room, Yao watched what was going on with staunch disapproval as Arthur managed to get his knee into Francis's vital regions and Francis ended up on the floor with his hands cupped between his legs.

"Aiyah!" he said. "People from the Western Districts are so immature, aru!" Sat next to him, Ivan cocked his head and smiled.

"They're in love!" he replied. "But Arthur does not want to admit it! I think I heard Kiku call him a  _ tsundere _ ! He hides what he really feels!"

"He hides it well, aru!" Yao commented, watching Francis still groaning on the floor. Ivan shifted his seat closer to Yao's.

"I do not want to talk about them," he said. "Which military will you be joining? I'm thinking of joining the Wall Garrison or the Survey Corps."

"Not the Military Police, aru?"

"I think not," Ivan replied. "I learn to fight titans, da? It makes sense that I go where I can use that learning! Military Police never meet titans! All the learning wasted!" Yao hummed.

"I can agree with that," he commented. "I think I will join the Wall Garrison! I wish to use my skill but I don't think it wise to rush into death! I will let it come to me and make it work to claim my life!" Ivan put his hand over Yao's.

"It will not!" he said. "I will not allow it to!"

* * *

"Feli will join the MPs with me, Potato Bastard!" Lovino stated, pulling Feli toward him. "My fratello's going to the safest place where I can look after him!" Ludwig crossed his arms.

"If that's what Feliciano wants, I agree," he replied. "But it's Feli's decision, not yours! He chooses where he goes!" Feliciano wrapped his hands around Ludwig's arm.

"Would you come with me, Luddy?" he plead.

"I'm joining the Survey Corps!" he replied. "I trained to fight titans, not to hide in the interior! I'm going fight for Humanity and to take back the territory we lost when Wall Maria fell!" Lovino snorted.

"Well you should be titan chow in no time!" he mocked. "But my little fratello's not going to be a snack for any fifteen meter! Screw that, Potato Bastard, he's definitely coming with me!"

"He's old enough to make his own decisions!" Ludwig insisted. "He could join the MPs, the Survey Corps or the Wall Garrison but it's his choice! Let him make it!" Feli flung his arms around Ludwig's waist.

"I want to stay with you, Luddy!" he wailed. Ludwig patted him on his back.

"If that's what you want!" he replied.

"FINE!" Lovino stormed. "If you get eaten by a titan, don't come crying to me!" And Lovino stomped away before anyone could reflect on the idiocy of that statement. Feli turned to Ludwig.

"Will I get eaten, Luddy?" he asked, fearfully. Ludwig gave a smile.

"You can't!" he replied. "If you do, who will defend your pasta?"

* * *

Gilbert slipped into the seat next to Matthew and purred into his ear, "And what will you be choosing, Birdie?" 'Birdie' blushed.

"Well," he replied, shyly. "I'm considering the Wall Garrison!"

"Why the Wall Garrison?" Gilbert asked. Matthew looked up into Gilbert's red eyes.

"Well, I did consider the Survey Corps," he admitted. "But our remaining territory needs defending too. I know I've got a shot at the MPs but I've heard things about them! That the officers are lazy and dump all their work on the newbies and that a lot of them are corrupt and deal in the Black Market! I don't think I want to work with people like that!" Gil wrapped his arm around Matthew's shoulders and pulled him into him.

"You're almost as awesome as me, Birdie!" Gilbert declared. "I might choose the Wall Garrison too! We'll awesomely defend Humanity together!" And he kissed Matthew on the forehead.

"Get a room, you bastards!" Lovino shouted as he stormed past and out the door, making Matthew blush again and Gilbert go, "Kesesese!"

Shadis moved away from the door before Lovino came stomping out, not seeing Shadis as he marched toward the barracks. Clearly, the Tomato Idiot had not taken Pasta Boy's decision well, Shadis noted, but Shadis agreed with Muscles that it was Pasta Boy's decision.

Shadis could not help but think that a lot of the decisions were being made with the heart. Pasta Boy wanted to stay with Muscles, The Hero wanted Manga Boy to come with him, Creepy Bastard was bound to follow Panda Boy, Eyebrows and Francy Pants would stay together, if only to continued their weird fight/flirt relationship and Egomaniac would follow Maple Breath on to the Walls. The only one not making decisions on where they go based on where their lovers were was Tomato Idiot (probably because he did not have one as far as Shadis knew).

He walked away, wondering what the future held for the new graduates!

* * *

_ _ Life in the MPs …. _ _

It was soon a common sight to see Arthur Kirkland and Francis Bonnefoy arguing as they patrolled the streets and, one time, Arthur even pushed Francis in the river. People would have believed that they were mortal enemies if it was not for that one time they were caught in an alleyway, making out and were put on report for public indecency while on duty. It was now an open secret that the two were a couple, no matter how much bickering they did in public.

Lovino soon sniffed out the corruption and turned it to his advantage, quickly becoming the head of the corrupt officers and organising their less than legal activities into more profitable ventures. He, however, stopped harassment of the ordinary civilians but merchants who cheated the populace soon became his favourite victims which made Lovino popular with the people, not so much the cheating merchants but who were they going to complain to? The Military Police?

The Interior Mafia was born and what Nile Dok did not know would not hurt him!

* * *

_ _ Life on the Wall …. _ _

Duties on the wall consisted of maintaining the cannons, keeping watch for titans, seemingly arguing with Wall Cultists and occasionally fighting the odd titan attack. Ivan remembered repelling his first attack by titans, staring down at one as it gazed up at him, grinning manically. Ivan just smiled back, his dark aura, spreading around him like a disturbing cloud, causing the titan to falter. The moment Ivan began to say 'kolkolkol!', what passed for awareness in the titan's brain said, 'Screw this!' and it ran screaming for the forests. This worked on the Wall Cultists as well!

Yao had manned the cannons and had been blasting off titan heads while Matthew and Gilbert flew in on their ODM gear to finish them off.

"Awesome work, Birdie!" Gil praised when they were back on the wall and he pulled Matthew in for a kiss. Matthew blushed! Again! Gilbert loved making his Birdie blush.

"Save it for later, aru!" Yao called out as he reloaded the cannon. Ivan jumped from the wall and fired his left hook to tether himself to it as he swung toward another titan's neck.

"VODKAAA!"

He lashed out with his pairing blades and another wedge of flesh flew away, leaving the titan copse to fall and disintegrate. He use his gas-jets to propelled back to the top of the wall and Yao fired his cannon again. Dot Pyxis watched the battle and the four newbies working together and considered himself lucky he got them. He was sure Erwin Smith would have like them in the Survey Corps!

* * *

_ _ Life in the Survey Corps... _ _

"What do you think you're doing, Jones, you idiot?" the short, raven-haired, silver-eyed man yelled at Alfred who seemed to be painting his ODM gear red, white and blue in the barracks courtyard.

"These are my district flag colours, dude...I mean Captain!" Alfred replied. "So when people see me, they know the Hero's here!" Levi resisted the urge to face-palm and instead, went for his patented death glare. This Jones kid had a real hero fixation that bordered on obsession. As if Levi did not have one shitty brat to deal with already!

"They're also the colours of the London District flag, dimwit!" he pointed out. "And the Paris District, the Amsterdam District, the Oslo District and the Reykjavik District. How is anyone going to know who you are, dumb-ass?"

"Oh yeah!" Alfred realised and began stripping the paint off his ODM gear while Levi walked away with a irritated sigh. Jones's ODM skills were better than most but he was such a brat! Levi spotted the other three new recruits, standing nearby, Beilschmidt, Vargas and Honda. He had expected Vargas with the springy auburn curl and amber eyes to get eaten on his first time beyond the wall when he began whimpering at the sight of titans until the blonde man, Beilschmidt, with the resemblance to Erwin, shouted, "FELI! DEFEND YOUR PASTA!"

Vargas went from totally pathetic to  _ _ Not bad! _ _ right before Levi's eyes as he gave a blood-curling battle-scream and tore into the titans, cutting them down left and right with speeds the rivalled Levi's. All because of a type of food! Well, if it worked, Levi was not going to complain about it and he thought that, maybe he should put Vargas with Yeager! With Yeager's titan shifting abilities and hatred of titans and Vargas's reaction when his dinner was threatened, they would defeat the titans in no time!

Honda was a complete mystery to Levi, he never spoke much and could read the mood while others (Jones) were completely oblivious to it. He was good at making things and had found ways to improve the performance of the ODM gear, now if he could find a way to speed up production of the new improvements to meet demand! Honda got on well with Mikasa Ackerman which suited Levi because it distracted Mikasa from throwing glares at him for beating up her precious Eren in the courtroom.

In Beilschmidt, Levi had found a soul mate! Someone who's cleaning standards were on par with his own. He remembered the first time he stepped into the Survey Corps barracks after the new recruits arrived.

_"_ _ _ Who cleaned up in here?" he demanded as he examined the scrubbed floors, clean windows, made beds and tidy cupboards. A tall rookie, who resembled Erwin Smith without the eyebrows, stood up. _ _

 

_"_ _ _ I did, Captain!" he said, saluting. Everyone but the rookies held their breath because they knew what Levi was like when it came to cleanliness and thought the newbie was about to get a blistering put-down. Levi gave the room another look. _ _

 

_"_ _ _ Not bad!" he commented, and the squad gave a gasp of surprise. "Name and District!" _ _

 

_"_ _ _ Ludwig Beilschmidt, Captain!" the rookie replied. "Berlin District!" _ _

 

_"_ _ _ Well, keep this up, Beilschmidt," Levi advised. "And you might turn out not to be a waste of space and oxygen! Right! Back to what you were all doing and that includes those perverted R-18 books of yours, Honda! I know you read them!" And Levi left the barracks. _ _

Beilschmidt had turned out to be an asset in the field, particularly when it came to handling Vargas. He knew that something was going on there and between Jones and Honda but as long as it did not interfere with them doing their jobs, Levi did not care! He saw Erwin walking across the courtyard at him, coming to check out the new recruits for himself. Erwin looked around the courtyard at all the soldiers doing various things as he approached Levi.

"Are those the new recruits?" he asked, nodding his head toward the foursome behind Levi. "What do you think of them?"

"Not bad!" Levi replied. "Jones is another shitty brat, like Yeager but I think they'll all work out!" Levi was forced to rethink that as Jones walked past in his ODM gear, stripped of its red, white and blue but instead Jones had painted the New York District's national bird. Two bald eagles with out-stretched wings now adorned his blade holders. This time Levi did face-palm.

Two shitty brats in the same squad were going to be the death of him!

* * *

A few weeks later after waving his little charges goodbye, Shadis was ready for the new 106th squad batch of glory-minded hopefuls to break and this lot looked worse than the last group. Especially that strawberry-blonde with the weird pink and blue swirly eyes and a resemblance to Kirkland. Shadis had the feeling that, perhaps, he should keep this one out of the kitchen as well!

 


End file.
